George Washington University announced Wednesday that Apple CEO Tim Cook will give the commencement address for the 2015 graduating class. He will also be awarded an honorary doctorate of public service by the school. According to the school, Mr. Cook was suggested by its students during its nomination process.
The event will take place on May 17th on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Apple CEO Tim Cook
"Mr. Cook has led the world's most admired company since 2011 and overseen the development of Apple products, which are ubiquitous on GW’s campuses and in the lives of its students," the university said in a statement.
The school also extolled Apple's recent accomplishments, noting:
Mr. Cook recently announced the next chapter in Apple’s story with new service and product categories, including Apple Watch, Apple’s most personal device ever and one that instantly captured the world’s imagination. He has continued to help improve conditions for workers who make the company’s products, advance human rights and increase charitable giving, and he is overseeing a company-wide effort to use 100 percent renewable energy at all Apple facilities.
Mr. Cook was the Financial Times' Person of the Year for 2014, and in 2012 he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. He joined Apple in 1998, and prior to being named CEO he served as chief operating officer. Previously, he was an executive at Compaq, now part of Hewlett-Packard Co., Intelligent Electronics and IBM. Mr. Cook earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University and an M.B.A. from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar.
Tim Cook has maintained a higher profile than his predecessor, the late Steve Jobs. Mr. Jobs gave a famous (and fantastically awesome) commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, and was interviewed several times at events like D Conference. Mr. Cook, on the other hand, has spoken at a number of events.